


10 Times They Met

by VGucci



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU, BAMF!Tony, F/M, Genius!Tony, Homeless!Tony, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Peter Parker, Rich!peter, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-22 19:11:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19975822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGucci/pseuds/VGucci
Summary: It all began when the heir of Parker Industries noticed a homeless figure sitting slumped against the wall in an alley. That homeless figure was the Tony Stark, ex CEO and owner of Stark Industries before he disappeared from the public eye and his company went under. The genius mind of the century, was left as a shell of what he used to be. As time passes on, Peter and Tony keep meeting each other by accident, and Peter makes it his personal mission to help this man back up on his feet.





	1. First Time They Met

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing. I just thought this idea was pretty cute. Apologies for any spelling and/or grammar errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix it, thanks.

Peter sat at the back of the car, glancing out the window into the streets of New York. The city was drenched with rain, with the pitter patter hitting against his window. People were bustling around, trying to find shelter away from the weather whilst the cars were stuck in traffic. Looking towards the mirror, he tried to meet his driver’s gaze.

“Mr Hogan, how long is this going to take?” Asked Peter as he began fidgeting with the watch on his wrist.

“Could be an additional 20 minutes than normal to get back to the penthouse.”

“Okay.” Responded Peter before casting his attention back out the window. It was the only source of entertainment he seemed to have. Nothing really caught his eye; the street was filled with stores. There were a few cosmetic ones, plastic surgery clinics and clothing shops. But then there was an alley. It was dark and stood out compared to the neon lights that the surrounding area had. And the most prominent feature of the scene that Peter saw was a man, sitting slumped against one of the buildings. His eyes were barely open, and his clothes were soaked and filthy.

Peter’s father was never a generous soul. If he had his way, Christmas would most likely be banned. He had a strong laissez faire mindset that he always claimed would bring the economy into a new era of prosperity. Richard was a cold businessman. Peter knew about the rumours surrounding his father. How he used to work as Oscorp with his wife before screwing them over and then creating his own business to fill in the gap that Oscorp left. But Peter was never like Richard, he wasn’t his father.

“I’m going out for a few minutes, the air in the car is too stuffy.” Said Peter before unlocking the door.

“I can just open the windows; the sir wants you back as soon as possible.”

“I don’t think me leaving for ten minutes is going to change anything. I strongly doubt the car would have even made it to the end of the street by the time I return. I’ll only be out for five minutes.” Replied Peter before opening the door and grabbing his wallet with him. “I’ll see you in a bit Mr Hogan,” he decided before stepping out of the car and slamming the door closed.

As soon as he did that, he could hear the muffled swearing before making his way towards the alley. When Peter reached the figure, he took in a quick gulp of air. He’s been told about how some of the beggars are fake, that they just put on some tattered clothes and a show to make a living. How some of them might be drug addicts or alcoholics that ruined themselves. But this figure in front of him was abnormally thin, they looked like they were on the verge of passing out.

Brown tattered clothes, broken trainers and a thick jacket that didn’t protect the figure enough from the harsh weather outside. Kneeling down, Peter noticed how their hair was filthy brown and how their hands were all scarred. But the most prominent aspect of this figure that Peter noticed was the faint blue glow that drifted through the jacket.

“Excuse me sir, are you alright?” Asked Peter as the person’s eyes blinked open.

“Yeah kid, just dandy,” bit back the figure with as much sarcasm as they could muster before trying to sit up straighter. “What’s a kid like you doing around here? In this weather.”

“Oh. I just thought you might have wanted some help is all. I saw you just sitting here, and the news said that the weather was most likely going to be getting worse later on. You should probably get some shelter.” Responded Peter before opening his wallet and pulling out two $50 notes. “I know it’s not much, but it’s the only cash I have on me right now. Please get some shelter.” He said as he handed the money towards the figure.

Blinking with confusion at the money and then at the kid, the figure narrowed his eyes at Peter. “Kid, that’s more than much. You can’t just go handing that out to strangers.”

“Well, what’s your name?”

“Tony.”

“Right, Tony. You’re not a stranger anymore. So please take it.”

“I don’t think that’s how being and not being a stranger works.”

“Please just take it,” repeated Peter again before putting the two notes in the soaked cup sitting at Tony’s feet. “Just get some shelter and take care of yourself.” He said before the sound of a distinctive car horn broke through the air. Looking back at the road, Peter saw the traffic decreasing and Mr Hogan screaming his name from the car window.

“I need to go now. Take care Mr Tony.” He said before slipping away.

“Bye kid, and thanks.” As soon as Tony saw the kid enter the white car, he couldn’t help but to wave slightly. There was truly some generous people in the world which shocked him a bit. Picking up the two notes, Tony examined them both. They were real. As he was stuffing the notes into his pockets, he noticed the cars starting to move. One by one, they left the street.

“Who was that?” Asked Mr Hogan.

“It was a man that needed help,” replied Peter as he buckled his seat belt on after closing the car door. 

“And how much did you give away this time?”

“Only $100. He- I wish I could’ve given him more. He reminded me of someone.”

“You’re too good for this world Mr Parker.”

“Please, never call me that again.”


	2. Peter Meets Nat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Apologies for any spelling and/or grammar errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix it, thanks. 
> 
> Thanks for taking your time to read this, and the comments you leave behind are really kind and motivating. During the last chapter, I ended up saying notes, and sorry about that. Was my British background shining through as I'm not that familiar with American currency. Either way, hope you enjoy this chapter.

A few weeks passed since Peter first met Tony. Ever since then, something about the man would haunt him. The figure was too skinny, too tired and on the verge of death. Leaning back into his seat, Peter stared blankly at the artificial glow emitting from his laptop. Another thing that was haunting him was this stupid essay that he had to finish for his business module. His forte was never business or any of the related subjects like economics or finance. The only reason why those subjects were on his university timetable was because his father encouraged him to take them and wouldn’t stop pressuring him until he did.

Slamming the laptop closed, Peter decided that 200 words was more than enough for that essay for now. He only had 1800 more words to go, and there were still several weeks. Throwing on a pair of Converse and a green jacket, Peter left his room.

The penthouse was abnormally silent. As usual, his father was out, most likely at Parker Industries HQ, or at one of the R&D divisions on the outskirts of the city. Picking up his wallet from the living room table, Peter left the penthouse. As soon as he stepped outside, he felt the bitter air nip at his face. There wasn’t any destination that he had in mind, no where that he could exactly go to. Ned and MJ weren’t answering their phones again. The only person messaging him was his childhood bully turned ‘friend’, Flash. It was obvious to Peter why the boy had a sudden change of heart. Especially when the change of heart occurred when Parker Industries began skyrocketing with success.

With all things considered, Peter decided to make his way to a nearby coffee shop. He tugged the collar of his jacket up before stuffing his hands into his pockets. It was getting colder. As usual, everyone was rushing around, not paying him a single thought. Which was good. There wasn’t anything striking about Peter’s appearance, his outfit choice was more like a typical teenager than anything else. There was surprisingly no paparazzi following him. So he took his time walking to the coffee shop, taking a slight detour.

The detour led him to a familiar street, with the same cosmetics shops, plastic surgery clinics and clothing shops. By the time that Peter was approaching the alley, he couldn’t help but to slightly hope that Tony would be there. Couldn’t help but to wonder if the man already used the money from a few days ago, or if he managed save and have some left over. When he reached the alley, Peter was only greeted with the sight of crumpled cardboard boxes where he last saw Tony. Gripping at his wallet, Peter glanced around. He wasn’t there anymore.

That was a good thing, right? Maybe the money some how helped him get back to his family or friends, who could help him. Even so, Peter stood outside the alley for a few minutes, in case the figure would suddenly appear. After the few minutes, Peter stared into the alley. He’d never walked through such as area before, even back before Parker Industries was established. He had enough lectures from his aunt, uncle, mum and even father, that he knew not to. But what if Tony was there.

Taking in a deep gulp of air and nodding to himself, Peter took a step forward. Then another step forward, and another. Before he was covered by the shadows of the large looming buildings surrounding him. The area was filthy, with large bins that were used by the tenants and shops of the surrounding area. But it had more shelter from the rain and cold breeze compared to the open streets. But it smelt disgusting.

“Mr Tony?” Called out Peter as he continued walking. Okay, maybe he isn’t here, and maybe he should just make his way back to the coffee shop. Possibly pop by one of the shops and get some cologne or body spray or something. “Mr Tony? Are you here?”

There was some rustling nearby and before Peter could properly think, there was a knife to his throat and his arms were twisted behind his back. The grip was strong, and they only required one hand to ensure that Peter couldn’t move.

“Who are you and what do you want with Tony?” Hissed out a female voice.

“My name is Peter, Parker Peter. I mean, Peter Parker. Please don’t kill me.” He said frantically, already panicking.

“And what do you want with him?” Repeated the female.

“Nat, let him go. He’s the kid that gave me $100,” came Tony’s voice as he strutted into the alley, his hands carrying some food and a few bottles of water. “Thanks kid, but what are you doing here?”

The female, Nat, pocketed away the knife but still held onto Peter’s arms, keeping them behind his back. “I don’t think that this area really suits you.” Continued Tony before sitting the food and water on a nearby wooden crate that looked like it had been through hell and back.

“I was, well. I was on my way to this coffee shop, but then the walk was like really, really nice. So I ended up just walking, and somehow ended up at this street. Then I remembered you, like, do you remember that we met a few days ago? I mean, of course you do, you just told your friend. Sorry, I’m just-,“ Rambled Peter as Tony and Nat stared at him with amusement.

“Breathe kid,” said Tony whilst Nat released her hold on Peter.

“I’m sorry. Well, I just remembered about you, and just wanted to check up on you. That’s all. Apparently the weather is going to get worse later on this week, and well. I was worried. I don’t think I introduced myself when we first met though. My name is Peter Parker. Hi, again. Nice to meet you.” Said Peter with a small smile.

“Well, you know who I am. The red head over there is Nat.”

“My name is Natasha.”

“Like I said, Nat.”

“You really shouldn’t be exploring these types of areas. There’s a lot of muggers that lurk around alleys and streets at night, haven’t your parents told you that before?” Commented Natasha as she grabbed one of the water bottles from the crate and took a sip. “Can’t be exactly safe for a 12-year-old.”

“I’m 18 and perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”

“Right kid.”

“Really!”

“Well, you should really head to some where else. Some where safe.”

“I know, but still. Like I said, I was worried,” said Peter as he stuffed his hands back into his jacket pockets, fidgeting with his wallet. “Plus, there’s no where else to go. Well, besides the coffee shop. But if I go to the coffee shop, I am therefore inclined to get coffee and apparently caffeine is not a healthy look on me.”

“You can get some hot chocolate, isn’t that what the kids your age should be drinking?”

“I’m 18!”

“Right.”

“Why not hang out with your friends, or just head back home?” Voiced up Natasha.

Giving a broken laugh, Peter rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well. I guess my friends don’t really feel like talking to me right now? Which I completely understand. But I tried to message them. I tried everything, honestly. Texting, calling, Facebook, Instagram- they just keep ignoring me. It’s been a week since they talked to me, and I mean, yeah. It’s my fault, but I still don’t know what exactly I did. I just miss them. I really miss them. And home, really, really doesn’t feel like home. It’s always so quiet and there’s so many rules. Yeah. I want to get away from there right now,” admitted Peter, his eyes glistening. And god damn it, he knew he was never good at keeping his emotions under wraps. It was why he would always avoid talking about his insecurities and problems. Even if he gives out one piece of information on how he feels, he could crack and become a waterfall. “I’m sorry.”

“You could stay with us for a bit.” Offered Tony before glancing to Natasha, as if trying to convey his thoughts to her. And maybe it worked, because both of them had the same train of thought. This kid didn’t want to be alone.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” confirmed Natasha, before offering a weak smile.

“What’s that saying. The more the merrier?” Said Tony as Peter leapt up and attempted to give the older man a hug, before getting nudged off. “Don’t really do that physical contact stuff.”

“Right, sorry!”

Despite the area constantly having a horrifying stench, with the filthy ground and the tattered crate boxes and the half-opened bins, Peter enjoyed his time there. A few hours passed as the three would talk about the most meaningless things. Topics ranged from favourite foods to favourite books, and even to the Avengers – a superhero group that was being formed. During those few hours, Peter tried to describe what a vine was to the two adults, with the task being quite difficult as he left his phone at his penthouse. Those few hours were precious to Peter. The chance to have a conversation with other people that wouldn’t judge him harshly or compare him to his father. It was a moment that Peter would cherish.

By the time that the sun began to disappear, Natasha decided that he should head back to his house. Warning him that the streets get more dangerous the darker it gets. With a pout, Peter decided to agree with her advice.

“Thanks Miss Natasha, Mr Tony,” he grinned before digging into his jacket and pulling out his wallet. Pulling out a few bills, he placed them onto Tony’s hand.

“Kid, we can’t keep accepting money from you,” said Tony as he quickly counted all the bills. They amounted to more than $200.

“Trust me! It’s nothing. Please. Take care, and maybe see you guys soon?” Offered Peter as Natasha smirked.

“Run along now little spider.” She instructed as Peter nodded his head twice before waving once again and leaving the alley.

"Thanks kid."

“You’re attached.” Stated Natasha.

“And you’re not?” Shot back Tony.


	3. Tony Helps Peter With Homework

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Apologies for any spelling and/or grammar errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix it, thanks. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy

Despite the campus being filled to the brim with students, Peter never felt more alone. Fidgeting with his bag strap, he made his way towards his next class. Just like last week, Ned and MJ were still ignoring him no matter how hard he tried to reach out towards them. Even during Mathematics 1B, Ned wouldn’t even sit next to him. As soon as Peter tried to make his way over towards the other teenager, he just packed his bags and went to the other side of the lecture hall. For the first time, Peter truly felt alone.

“Peter!” A voice cut through the campus as Peter quickly turned around to see who yelled out his name.

“Gwen?” He asked, unable to believe his eyes. “What- you, wait. What?”

“You go here?” Asked Gwen as she jogged to catch up with the younger teenager.

“Yeah, but, wait, you attend here as well?” He asked, with a small smile.

“Well, I’m just visiting. I’m planning to apply, but my mum suggested that I visit the campus first before making any life changing decisions,” she replied. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Then again, doesn’t really surprise me. Planning to follow your father’s footsteps?”

“Nope. Can’t say I am,” replied Peter quickly. “So, what are you planning to apply for?”

“Most likely genetics, and as a backup, I might apply for biomedical engineering. How about you?”

“Well, I’m currently in my second year,” laughed Peter, ruffling his own hair a bit as his nerves suddenly kicked in. “Ended up starting college a bit early. I’m doing a joint degree with chemical engineering and finance.”

“Sounds fun,” commented Gwen as Peter nodded his head.

“It’s pretty amazing – the university has a bunch of funding that goes to the science department. I think during first year, you get a project in the engineering module where you build a mini robot. It was pretty fun. Oh! I think, if you do end up taking biomedical engineering, you’re going to be getting some maths lectures. I have to warn you about Professor Brown – his lectures go by so quickly! Like he just whizzes through the lectures and a bunch of people can’t keep up with him, and if you try to write down everything he says, your hand is going to catch fire. But, you’re going to love it here! The library here is pretty amazing, have you been there yet?” Rambled Peter as Gwen stifled a laugh.

“I’m actually heading to the library the now to meet up with Harry. You remember him? He was also at that summer camp with us. You should join us, be our tour guide.” Said Gwen as Peter’s smile faltered before becoming stiff.

“I better get going. I’m really happy we got to meet again,” said Peter, dodging Gwen’s suggestion, which only caused her to frown slightly.

“You know he doesn’t blame you, right? Harry misses you, you’re still his friend.” Whispered Gwen, as if reading Peter’s mind. “I know that you withdrew from us when that whole fiasco was going on with Oscorp, but that had nothing to do with you.”

Giving his old friend a weak smile, Peter nodded his head. “I should still probably go. Got a business essay to finish. Take care though. And enjoy the campus, it’s amazing,” he said before hesitating a bit. “And tell Harry I said hi.”

“We really do miss you. But alright. You should text us some time, our numbers haven’t changed since the last time. Take care Peter, I’ll see you around,” waved Gwen before making her way towards the library, with a map of the campus in her hands.

For a while, Peter just stood there with his mind racing a mile a minute. Giving out a small sigh, he whispered to himself, “you screwed it again.” Before deciding to make his was towards one of the local coffee shops. The library wouldn’t be an option to go to, with Gwen and Harry being there. MJ and Ned still wouldn’t answer him. His home wouldn’t be an option as the silence would drive him mad, no matter how many speakers he would use to blast his music.

As he began walking to the usual coffee shop he would go to, he couldn’t help but to think back to Tony and Natasha. Five days since he last saw them. Sure, he ended up going to the alley two days ago, but when he arrived there, he was greeted with the sight of nothing. Maybe they left, relocated to some where with better weather or something. Even so, he couldn’t help but be hopefully, as his initial idea to go to the coffee shop got scrapped again.

Before he knew it, he was standing at the same street again, walking by the familiar shops before spotting the alley. The cardboard boxes were cleared up and once again there was no sign of Tony or Natasha. Pouting a bit, Peter gripped on his backpack before walking deeper into the alley. “Mr Tony? Miss Natasha? Are you there?” Called out Peter as he walked further in. No life.

“You know kid, you need to stop walking down dark alleys. They could be filled with strangers or muggers, or even just criminals,” scolded Tony as Peter turned around to see the older figure walking towards him.

“Mr Tony! You’re still here,” grinned Peter before rushing towards him. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t seen you in ages and was kind of nervous but then again. I don’t know. I just really kind of missed you and Miss Natasha as well. You know? But how have you been? Where have you been? I tried visiting two days ago, but no one was here. Where were you? Also where is Miss Natasha?”

“Calm down kid, take a breath,” chuckled Tony. “Me and Nat went to visit some friends. You know, the streets are filled with people like us. Ended up buying some food and sharing it.”

“Oh,” replied Peter, “that’s good to hear. Did you manage to get some shelter during the storm though? Last night was pretty bad.”

“Don’t worry kid. We ended up meeting someone. This someone managed to find an abandoned warehouse a few years ago, that just got ignored. Me and Nat are staying there with a bunch of other people.” Answered Tony as Peter smiled at that.

“That sounds good. Actually it sounds pretty fun – is it like one giant slumber party?” Asked Peter as Tony laughed.

“I guess you could say that. But anyway, what are you doing here?”

“Well, I don’t know. I mean, I do know. But well, should I say?” Rambled Peter nervously as he focused his attention to his pair of shoes. “I kind of just wanted to talk to you and Miss Natasha, I guess. You guys really cheered me up a few days ago. You know that? I really like your company. And I guess I’m just avoiding my essay, it’s just evil.” Said Peter, trying to put a line in at the end to make the other laugh.

Staying quiet for a bit, Tony examined the younger. His smile disappearing as Peter fidgeted under his gaze. You screwed up again, you keep screwing up, why are you like this? The thoughts rang clear and strong in Peter’s mind as he felt a mild sense of panic overwhelm him.

“What subject is your essay for?” Asked Tony, “I might be able to help.”

Peter’s attention instantly focused on Tony as he gaped like a fish out of water. “You would help?” He asked, almost as a whisper. “You would really help?”

“Sure kid. If I know what I’m doing, it won’t be a problem. Can’t let your grades be suffering. You want to get into a fancy college, don’t you? I heard MIT is where all the cool kids are going,” teased Tony.

“Actually, I’m already in college. Doing my degree in chemical engineering and finance,” said Peter.

“So you’re not one of the cool kids? That’s a shame,” laughed Tony as Peter joined him. “But your essay, what’s the focus of it? I got some engineering knowledge, but mainly around mechanics. My chemistry knowledge is pretty good, not as good as engineering or physics but better than finance.”

Giving a sheepish grin, Peter took off his bag and pulled out his notebook and a pen. “It’s actually a business essay for one of my modules that I had to take to complete the finance part of the degree. It’s about the challenges that businesses may face, mainly focusing on the external factors such as political, economic, social, technology, environmental and the competitive market that the business operates in. The lecturer told us to focus on two of these issues and use one company to write up an essay that evaluates how the business handles the challenges. But well, it’s so boring. I was planning to do an all nighter tomorrow or something. I tried working on this in the past but ended up writing 200 words before getting bored and just leaving.” Admitted Peter. “You don’t have to help, it’s okay. It’s not that difficult just really, really tedious.”

“It’s alright kid, let me see what you got so far,” Tony reassured before Peter handed him the notebook and the pen. Glancing through the words that Peter already had on the notebook and the scribbles that he had as the essay plan; he couldn’t help but to laugh a bit. “You’re doing it on Stark Industries? You know they went under,” he said as Peter frowned.

“They’re one of the most interesting companies that this world has ever seen! Have you seen the technology that Mr Stark would develop; it was amazing. And they did so much for everyone as well, always donating to charities, raising awareness for new issues that is plaguing our world. Did you know that in primary school, one of their employees went to visit my school and gave us a talk about what they did and would answer our questions? They even bought in some prototypes of robots that they were developing in their free time.” Rambled Peter as Tony stayed silent. “I still have my first ever phone – it was one of the older Stark phones that they released. It doesn’t really work anymore, but I still have it. I guess it’s just sentimental value at this point. But if I’m going to write a boring essay, I’m going to make it as interested as possible for myself, thank you very much.”

“You’re real defensive about a company?” Asked Tony as Peter nodded his head, staring at him straight in the eye.

“Yes.”

“Well, let’s have a look at this again then,” said Tony as he went to the crates that still hadn’t moved with Peter following behind him. “You’re focusing on technology and political? It’s good what you got so far. But I think you might be better going down social instead of political. Bunch of the government allowed the weapons division to create whatever the hell they wanted to. Some corruption going on there, meaning individuals could be bought so their opinion would change when passing legislation to weapons manufacturing. Not even that, but there were private deals going on with Stark Industries and the government. But social. There were protests, a lot of people had a strong opinion on the weapons division. Not limited to just the US. There were people from all the way in Germany to people from third world countries that would associate the name with death. If you do an investigation down this route, you can link it to how it can damage the company through reputation, and whereas their weapons division won’t be as badly damage as they had contracts with all their customers, the average consumer would go to other alternatives for their technology – such as with mobiles and tablets. For example, they would go to Apple or Samsung, despite how amazing the tech at SI was,” explained Tony, as he would glance to Peter every now and then to make sure he was keeping up with what he was saying, whilst scrawling down the names of articles he recalled. “You should be able to find them online or in your university library.”

They continued with this for another hour and a bit, with Peter eagerly listening to every word that Tony said. Awed by the amount of knowledge that the older man had relating to the company. When it reached five, Tony handed back the notebook and pen to Peter. With around 10 pages of recommended articles to look up, and different arguments that Peter could work on in his own time. Taking the notebook, Peter quickly stuffed it into his bag with a grin on his face.

“Has anyone ever told you, that you’re amazing? Thank you so much! How do you even know so much?” He gushed. “Did you use to work there? What was it like?”

“Calm down kid, it was a long time ago,” answered Tony as Peter nodded his head.

Just at that moment, his phone began ringing. Picking it up, he saw that it was Mr Hogan calling. Wincing at the time, he quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket before grabbing out his wallet and pulling out $100 before handing it to Tony.

“Thank you so much for your help. Really. I think I might be able to get this essay done tonight. I didn’t even know that Stark Industries had to face these types of problems,” said Peter as Tony shook his head.

“I really can’t keep taking money from you like this kid. Go get yourself something nice,” said Tony as he stuffed his hands into the jackets of his puffy jacket. “I need to get going now. Take care kid.”

“Wait! Tell Miss Natasha I said hi, and just take it. I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but money really isn’t an issue for me. Please just take it. It would mean a lot for me if you did – at least then I know you have food and water and shelter. Please Mr Tony,” said Peter as he pushed the money into one of the empty pockets of Tony’s jacket. “Thanks again Mr Tony!” Said Peter before scrambling off before Tony could refuse the money again.

“That kid,” muttered Tony with a small smile before making his way towards the warehouse.

By the time that he arrived, he saw Steve and Bucky lounging on an old tattered mattress, chatting quietly with each other. Sam was sitting slouched on one of the sofas they found on the street whilst Natasha was talking idly with Bruce.

“You were gone for hours,” said Natasha as soon as she saw Tony.

“Was only two hours,” defended Tony.

“Hours. Where were you?” She shot back.

“Ended up visiting the alley.”


	4. McDonald's and Everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. Apologies for any spelling and/or grammar errors. If you notice any, please let me know so I can fix it, thanks.
> 
> Hope you enjoy and thank you for the comments, they're really motivating. 
> 
> I recently got a new job so I won't be able to update on weds, thurs and fri - but will try to update daily or every two days till this finishes.

“Mr Tony, is that you?” Asked Peter, as he blinked owlishly at the group of adults huddled together at one of the tables in McDonalds. “Miss Natasha?”

“Hey Pete,” greeted Tony as he waved the younger boy over. “Meet the rest of the gang. Bruce, Sam, Steve and Bucky.” Introduced Tony as he pointed to the respective person.

“Ended up treating ourselves to a hot meal,” said Natasha before taking a bite of the burger in her hands. “Thanks spider.”

“Wait, this is the kid that’s been giving you that cash?” Spluttered Sam whilst pointing to Peter. “You mean, you befriended that Parker kid?” He gaped, drawing in the attention of people sitting nearby them and causing Peter to duck his head down at the mention of his surname. “Man, why didn’t you say?!”

“Shut up,” ordered Natasha as she shot the man a quick glare before beckoning Peter closer towards her before snatching his tray and putting it on their table. “Sit with us, unless you need to be somewhere else.”

“Thanks Miss Natasha,” said Peter before taking the empty seat next to her and Bucky.

“So, Parker kid? Is he famous?” Asked Steve as Sam gave a howl of laughter.

“Oh man, you don’t even know, do you?” He snickered which only resulted to Bucky and Natasha throwing a fry at him each. Ignoring their act of aggression, he picked up the two fries and threw them into his mouth.

“Thanks for the food, it was great,” grinned Sam before turning his attention back to Steve. “This little guy over here is part of new money. You know Parker Industries? The one that got a shit ton of shady business going on. The one that replaced Oscorp and is probably in the process of replacing Hammer Industries? That’s the big guy’s son – the heir of all of that. I heard rumours that he’s going to be taking over once he turns 21.”

“You know you really shouldn’t say stuff,” cut in Tony, shooting Sam a glare. “He’s a good kid. He’s smart and he has an abnormally strong moral compass. The kid is going to change things, just you wait.”

“He’s a kind kid. And he actually has a brain unlike some of you,” chimed in Natasha, which only earned a snicker from Bucky.

“Man, you got these guys tied around your finger,” said Sam, directing his attention to Peter, who paused between eating some more of his fries. “So, how did you guys meet?”

“Well, I kind of saw Mr Tony a while back. And it was raining, and the protection that he had from the weather wasn’t really protection. So then I went to him –“

“And then he gave me a hundred fucking dollars,” finished Tony, which only earned a “language” from Steve and a bunch of awkward noises from Peter.   
“After that, we kind of kept stumbling by each other. Though at times I get a feeling that you’re trying to find me,” teased Tony which only earned a bunch of protests from Peter.

“I mean, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And then I met Miss Natasha and then I had to make sure she was alright. And now that I’ve met all of you-“

“Kid, don’t fret about it,” reassured Bucky. “We can get by on our own. You should really stop giving money out like that. How much have you already given? Almost half a grand?”

“But-“

“No buts kiddo, I already tried to tell you,” interrupted Tony. “It’s going to start damaging my pride soon.”

“You mean it hasn’t already?” Challenged Natasha with a smirk before taking a bite out of her burger.

“True, but still. Kid, our situation has gotten much better. It’s alright now.” Said Tony, offering a smile to the teen.

“Okay,” whispered Peter before taking another bite out of his own food, before thinking about something. That something could be either a really stupid idea, or a moment of genius. In all honesty, Tony was someone that he trusted, despite barely knowing anything about the man. Maybe it was because Peter was feeling isolated from his only family left and the moments of kindness and company that Tony offered was comforting. It reminded him that he wasn’t alone in this world. Not even that, but he introduced him to Natasha – who became another friend, despite only meeting twice. So maybe it was just a stupid idea, but Peter felt like he had to offer. It’s not like his dad would even notice. Especially with how often he was never home.

“I was thinking, maybe your situation could be even better? If you wanted to, you could move into the apartment complex that I’m at. No rent or even bills! And then, maybe if-“

“Kid, I can’t impose like that,” said Tony, “that’s too much. That’s not even a few hundred, but to offer shelter.” He continued, shaking his head. “I can’t. I can’t leave anyone at this table.”

“But they can come live with you as well! There’s plenty of room! There’s two apartments right now, that doesn’t have any tenants and should have enough rooms for everyone. Really-“

“Kid, we can’t just do that.” Tried to reason Tony as Peter bit his lip in nervous panic.

“If everything is better. And you don’t need me anymore, does that mean we’re never going to see each other again?” He whispered, causing everyone at the table to look at him with a soft gaze. “I mean, I should have expected it, but I thought we could be friends?”

“We’re still going to keep in contact with you for sure. Where did you get that idea!? Of course we’re friends.” Declared Tony, “kid. I know I enjoy your company, and did you know Nat over here even asked about you once? I don’t really know how to explain this to you. But we’re all like a makeshift family. We all got a past to run from, some shit that we’ve done before that left us where we are right now. Because of that, we can’t drag you down with us.”

“He’s right,” said Steve, his eyes downcast. “If we were to impose on you, a lot would follow us. It’s best if we keep our distance.”

“But we won’t. We will always stay in contact, okay Peter?” reassured Natasha as Peter nodded his head. “But what they both said is correct. We care about you.”

“Goddamn this meal got emotional.”

“Shut up Sam.”

“Did you manage to submit that essay?” Asked Tony, quickly changing the subject. At the change of topic, Peter instantly grinned.

“Yeah! Our class is actually pretty small to be honest, so the lecturer graded it already. They haven’t published the results yet, but a few days ago, they pulled me aside and told me that it was, and I quote, very insightful and challenging piece that I wrote! Apparently they already read some of the articles I referenced and reading the essay was nostalgic. Turns out they’re a massive Stark Industry fan as well. Well, not so much of a fan, but more of an ex-employee. Apparently they worked in the PR department where they were one of the people responsible for handle the scandals that the CEO would always get into. The lecturer told me that as a result, there was always at least four people in the PR department on shift 24/7! Did you know that?” Rambled Peter.

“Not even that, but they met the Anthony Edward Stark! That was the former CEO and owner. How about you Mr Tony? You worked at Stark Industries before, right? Which department did you work at?” Asked Peter eagerly before munching on his food, unaware of the glances the other people at the table would shoot to Tony.

“Well, you could say I worked in the R&D department,” answered Tony easily, which only earned a look of confusion from Sam. “Most of my time was spent down in the labs and creating robots, some of their weapons and other random types of technology. Besides that, I would work on holo and nano tech.”

“Whoa,” gasped Peter in awe. “That’s amazing! What did you help make?”

“Well, you know the Jericho?”

“Yeah, that was the last item released by SI before well, y’know,” replied Peter.

“I sent in some ideas that they used for that.”

“Whoa.”

“Yup,” grinned Tony. “Wasn’t really my greatest invention. I preferred creating some good old robots and programming AIs.”

“Whoa.”

“I’m glad that you got a good grade on the paper-“

“I mean, we haven’t even gotten the grades yet.”

“Then you will get a good grade on it,” corrected Tony as Natasha agreed with him from the side.

“If your lecturer pulled you to the side just to geek out about an old company, then I think they’re bound to give you a pretty decent grade,” snorted Sam.

“It wasn’t geeking out. It was appreciating the technological genius of Mr Anthony Edward Stark in his prime where he would produce world changing technology!” Defended Peter with a slight huff.

“You really look up to this person, don’t you?” Observed Bucky as Peter quickly nodded his head.

“Yeah! He’s one of my role models in the scientific field,” answered Peter with a grin. “When I was younger, I’d watch his interviews on the news and documentaries as well! It was always really interesting. Also really got me into engineering – did you know that apparently when I was around 6, I tried to take apart the toaster, just to put it back together again after watching a show featuring him. And apparently, it gave my mum a heart attack before she had to call in my father.”

“You sounded like a smart kid,” said Bruce as Peter beamed at him. “Did you ever enjoy biology?”

“I mean, I did for a while. But then we got this horrible teacher at school and he just made me give up. I honestly couldn’t be bothered with it anymore after he became the teacher. He managed to make the subject so boring and torturous to the point where I couldn’t even bring myself to read up on the subject when I went back home,” shuddered Peter as Tony snickered.

“It’s alright kid, physics is the superior science,” grinned Tony which only earned a fry to his face from Bruce.

Finishing up his meal, Peter glanced at his watch before tidying away the rubbish that remained after his meal. “I better get going, I need to finish my part of this group project before tomorrow.” He said as he stood up. “It was nice meeting you all, and I hope I get to see you again soon,” he grinned before reaching into his pocket only to receive disapproving gazes from Tony and Natasha.

“Don’t kid. We’ve had this talk way too many times,” warned Tony as Peter gave out a sigh.

“Well, I’ll see you around then?”

“Always.”

With that, Peter took his tray and left the table, leaving the group of adults to discuss what just happened. The table was silent for only around a minute or so before everyone broke out into questions for Natasha and Tony relating to the boy that they just met.

“Holy fuck Tony, what the actual fuck?” Gaped Sam, stuffing the last of his fries into his mouth.

“He’s nothing like his dad,” commented Bruce as Steve hummed in agreement.

“Where the fuck did you find him, like. For real? Did he really just went ‘hi there, take my money?’ because if that’s the case, this is like reverse sugar daddy.” Snickered Sam which earned a glare a piece of paper thrown to his head with more might than required.

“That’s disgusting,” glared Natasha.

“I’d stop talking if I were you,” Hissed Tony. “He’s a kid. He’s a fucking good hearted, kind spirited kid. You really think that even implying that the relationship between me and him would be something so twisted would be a good idea? Don’t cross the line.”

“Goddamn, you’re protective,” muttered Sam before finishing his drink.

“I agree with Tony. The kid was really polite and energetic,” offered Steve as Bucky nodded his head.

“More like he was bursting with energy.”

“We should probably head back the now.” Advised Natasha as they finished the rest of their food before cleaning up where they were previously sitting.

When they left McDonald’s, they ended up splitting into groups. Majority of them, Steve, Bucky, Sam and Natasha ended up deciding to head back to the warehouse, whilst Tony and Bruce went to grab some food for the morning. As the group parted ways and walked in different directions, Bruce couldn’t help but to think about what just happened during that meal. He pretty much met the person that was almost acting like a sponsor or a benefactor. He was a kind boy that didn’t really seem to want anything in return, which really was unique considering what most people were like now a days.

But then a cold piercing shriek ran through the air, causing the blood in his and Tony’s body to run cold. Without even warning him, Tony ran off, leaving Bruce behind in the dust, towards where the shriek came from.

It took a while to click, but when it did, Bruce felt sick. That sounded an awful lot like Peter. Instantly, he followed behind Tony, who soon disappeared from his sight. All of a sudden, there was the sound of a gunshot, a desperate cry of “no” before silence. By the time that Bruce found them, Tony was huddled protectively in front of a shaking Peter whereas a masked figure was lying on the group. The gun knocked away from his hands.

“Oh dear lord,” muttered Bruce, unable to comprehend the situation.

“Peter, listen to me closely. We need to call the police. Then we need to call your dad. Alright?” Asked Tony as he held onto the shaking boy. “It’s all going to be alright. Just trust me. Okay?”

“Y-yeah.”


	5. Teenage Drama & Texting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the last time I updated was the 4th of August 2019. Man it's been a while.

The first Mathematics 1B lecture that Peter attended after the whole fiasco with the man who had the gun was terrifying. Students flocked to him, parroting each other with questions of false concern. Students that didn’t even take the module were there – for example, one of the students that was part of the student newspaper society. It was impossible to breathe for the first 5 minutes until the lecturer walked in and got everyone to shut up and to go to their seats. Which Peter was extremely grateful for. 

Throughout the lecture, he tried to focus his attention to the new concepts being introduced by the lecturer. He couldn’t help but feel as though some one was watching him. After a few minutes, he allowed his eyes to quickly scan the lecture hall, only for them to fall onto Ned. Ned – one of his closest friends during high school and middle school before Parker Industries began to pick up. Who was sitting next to his girlfriend Betty. Ned, one of his friends who was rapidly becoming more and more distant. Who wouldn’t even acknowledge him most days, was staring at him with intense worry. 

Snapping his eyes towards the blackboard, Peter quickly scribbled down the notes into his jotter. Ned was lucky. The icky feeling of green envy filled his heart. Ned still got to talk with MJ, got a girlfriend that made him happy and had a family that loves him. 

The one hour lecture finally ended, with the lecturer reminding them all of their individual project that they had to submit by the end of the month. Packing his things into his bag, Peter tried to make a dash to the door. Maybe he could find a space on one of the quiet floors of the library where less people bothered him – hopefully before he encountered any more people that would just pester him about that night. 

But before he could leave the hall, he felt a hand grab his arm. 

“Please let go,” he said with a strained voice. 

“Peter,” called out Ned. 

That wasn’t who Peter would have expected to reach out to him. “Oh,” he let out. “Hi.” 

“Yeah, hi,” said Ned with a sheepish smile. 

“I just wanted to check up on you. I tried to text you and MJ tried as well. But you never answered –“ 

“I got a new phone number after the accident,” said Peter. Unsure on how he should go around this whole situation. So many questions buzzed in his mind. Questions that he wanted to ask Ned. ‘Why did you and MJ ignore me for months?’ ‘What do you want from me now?’ ‘Did you guys miss me?’ 

Yet, not a single word slipped from his mouth. 

“Did you make a start on the engineering project?” Asked Ned, trying to change the subject. 

On reflex, Peter’s forced smile changed into a frown that was trying not to be a frown. “Didn’t get the chance to since I still need to complete my part of the project before my group can progress to the next stage.” 

“That’s cool, cool, cool,” commented Ned. “My group is almost finished with the first rough draft. If you need any help, you can contact me. Do you still have my number?” 

“Yeah.” 

A moment of awkward silence devoured the two boys. 

Giving out a sigh, Ned glanced around the emptied lecture hall as the last student left through the doors. “I know it might be too late. But I am sorry. I am sorry for ignoring you for so long and for never reaching out. I’m sorry that you had to deal with all of that by yourself. I’m sorry on behalf of MJ as well. It’s just that – “ 

“That what? You think I’ve changed just cause my dad’s bank account has? You think that it’s –“ 

“No, it’s because your dad threatened us.” Interrupted Ned, with a strange level of hate laced through his voice that Peter has never heard before. Even when they used to get bullied mercilessly by Flash. “On your birthday when we went to see that movie that your dad took us to. When you went to get the snacks, he threatened both me and MJ. We didn’t know what else to do.”

Giving a disbelieving look at the person he once called his closest friend, Peter let out a weak laugh. “I know my dad can be a bit of a douche now a days, but he was nothing like that before all of this. You know that. Ned. You and MJ hurt me. Do you know what it’s like to feel so alone, to feel so out of touch with everyone. The feeling when you try so desperately to get in contact with someone just for them to ignore you at every given chance. Like, even on your birthday, when I tried to reach out to you, you walked right by me. You and MJ just ignored me as if I wasn’t there.

You know, I felt so uncomfortable at the decathlon practice sessions that I had to leave. You guys hurt me so much. And now you’re accusing my father to be the cause of your actions?” Exploded Peter. “For so long, I’ve wanted it to be you, me and MJ again. Like back in high school. Friends. But god, it hurts.” Stressed Peter before walking out of the lecture hall in an enraged fury. 

Under normal circumstances, Peter wouldn’t really defend his father. The man was more like a stranger to him at this point. A cold, manipulative stranger that always got his way. But that was when he was dealing with business, not when he dealt with personal relationships. Under personal issues, he was … Well, he was just a stranger, thought Peter as he made his way to the library. Not a cruel stranger. Just an indifferent one. 

A scientific genius, that just so happens to be gifted in the ways of charming investors and potential partners and clients. A selfish man that just seemed to be hoarding money at this point thought Peter bitterly. 

“God, I don’t need to deal with this,” muttered Peter as he stood outside the library. 

“Deal with what?” Came in a female voice as Peter whipped his attention over towards the source. 

“Miss Natasha? What are you doing here?” Asked Peter with surprise. 

“I’m surprised you haven’t noticed anyone else since that night. You know that Tony has been sending us to keep an eye on you whenever you leave campus or your flat.” Smirked Natasha as a horrified expression dawned Peter. 

“What?!” He exclaimed, drawing the attention of nearby students. “Oh my god. Please say you’re joking.” 

“He’s simply concerned,” shrugged Natasha. 

“I don’t need constant babysitting. This is constant babysitting. How have you guys even gotten away with it? Why has no one told me about this? Oh my god, did you see me to into the comic bookstore?” Asked Peter with sudden dread filling his voice. 

“You mean that day when you were gushing over the new Batman comic? Sam told us all about it.” Teased Natasha as Peter made a noise of despair. 

“It was a limited edition copy. Only 5 were made. It’s also one of the best issues of Batman and any fan would have had the same expression that I did.” Defended Peter. 

“Well, as fun as it is to tease you, it’s not why I’m here. Tony finally got a mobile yesterday and I got one earlier today. I’m just here to give you our numbers so that we can keep in contact without all of this stalking business going on.” 

“I didn’t ask to be stalked. Or consistent babysitters to be watching me.” 

“Well, after guy, you can’t really blame Tony of being more protective over you.” Shrugged Natasha as Peter offered his phone to her to put their numbers in. 

“Yeah… As creepy as it is, thank you guys for caring.” 

“Brighten up spider. I told you – we’re like family. A makeshift family.” Said Natasha as she finished inputting the numbers. “Huh, looks like you’re mister popular though. You’ve got 11 texts since you last looked at your phone.” 

“Are you looking through my messages?! I am pretty sure that’s an invasion of privacy,” said Peter before grabbing his phone out from her hands. 

“You should probably reply to whoever it is. They seemed to be worried about you,” advised Natasha as she took the phone out of Peter’s hands again and send a quick text to her and Tony’s number. “Everything seems to work. I’ll catch you later spider.” She said before waving goodbye. 

“See you Miss Natasha!” 

With curious eyes, Peter peered at the texts that he hasn’t read yet. It was an unknown number, but just looking at how one of the messages was signed off with ~H, he already knew who it was. With a small smile, he read through some of them. 

Unknown:  
> Hey Pete, it’s been a while. After hearing about what happened on the news, I just wanted to check up on you.  
> Still can’t believe that you didn’t have the decency to get back in contact after meeting with Gwn.  
> Gwen *  
> If you want to grab something to eat later, hmu? I’m going to be expecting a message from you sooner or later ~H 

Unknown:  
> Did you get some texts from Harry?  
> Don’t be alarmed, but we managed to get Happy to give us your new number.  
> Well, Harry did. But yeah. Hi Peter :) It’s Gwen! :D 

May:  
> Happy told me that you got a new number and that I have been sending to the wrong contact for ages.  
> Peter, you know that I am always here for you.  
> If you ever need to talk to anyone, just give me a call or message me okay?  
> It’s been a while since we’ve had a movie marathon. Maybe this weekend? 

Just at that, a new message popped through. 

Tony (Blame him for your babysitters):  
> Hey kid, Nat told me that she told you about everything  
> Don’t get all angry child at me, alright? I was really just concern. Especially since you just jumped back to carrying about your day as if nothing happened.  
> I don’t know why that person with the gun threatened you, but we’re going to get it sorted out. So don’t you worry. 

A weak smile broke through on Peter’s face. After that argument with Ned, it was nice to see that people still cared about him. That people would still reach out to him like this. Instead of making his way to the library, he ended up going to a nearby café instead. One that was warm and comforting that had the best cakes this side of the city. 

He spent the rest of the day replying to the text messages that he received. Reconnecting and Harry and Gwen after so long. Scolding Tony for acting like an overbearing soccer mom, though it was understandable. Catching up with Aunt May and everything he missed since he last spoke to her. 

Yet, what Ned told Peter. About his dad threatening him and MJ still lingered in his mind.


End file.
